Cardiophobia: need help understanding my tests results

[sweetlover88]

Hi everyone!

I'm a 26 years old male from Canada suffering from Cardiophobia, OCD and Hypocondria since my young age.

- My family have no heart disease history (on both side.)
- I do not smoke but i do drink (1-2 times a week)
- I'm not necessarly the most active person right now (i used to be but since the last 6-10 months, i've been pretty inactive and stressed with work)
- I am 5'11, 85kg. (A bit overweight, specially in the stomach area)

Anyway,

Ever since i was 16, i've had panick attack with the same symptoms (rapid heartbeat, feeling i was gonna die, feeling i was going crazy, etc.) but recently (around 9 months ago) i've had something that really scared the sh*t out of me and it was the first time ever. I was walking outside to go see my friend at bus station and all of a sudden, my heart started to race (around 150-170 i guess) but this wasn't the problem since i was used to that but this time, it came with irregular heartbeat (beating very fast and really really randomly, just like a-fib i guess... but then i went right away to hospital and everything was normal (had bloodtest and cardiogram test). The cardiologist told me that i should try to seek help from psychologist and then i left his room. I then go back inside again because i wanted to know if it was possible for him to prescribe me Ativan for my anxiety panick attack and he then gave it to me along with betablockants (he say it would help if it reappear.)

Then 3 weeks after, i started to have chest pain so i went to hospital again and this time, i had a x-ray done along with a cardiogram test and once again, everything was normal. The nurse still schedule me an appointment with the same cardiologist to make sure (and probably to re-assure me) the next morning (i went to ER at about 2:30 am...)

Then the next morning, i told the cardiologist about the pain and he made me have a cardiogram (i mistakely told him that i didn't had one the night before). Then when the result came he told me that some heartbeat were abnormal (he described them as 'Q') and said that it could lead to something serious so he had to do 2 more tests to make sure (stress test and electrocardiogram).

Then once i've finished the two other tests, not only did he said that everything was normal but he was surprised with some of the numbers... He said that everything is fine and it's caused by anxiety and even told me to not take the medication he gave me (betablockants) and to just do more sports and stress less and it would go away...

But my questions are these:

1) Never at anytime did i feel palpitations during my test (x-ray, blood test, cardiogram, ecg, stress test) could he have had missed something? because what i had when i was walking was REALLY scary and i never had that again but i have a big feeling it's atrial fibrilation (heart was beating very fast and totally irregular with no other symptoms...) Should i ask for an holter?

2) He said that my stress test was good, even above average but on the paper it said that the test stopped after 7 minutes due to 'dyspnea' but i was feeling fine.. what does thhat mean?

3) He didn't take much time reviewing my results with me so i would like to know if anyone here is good or can help me to interpret the results of my reading please? (i've included the pictures of it)

P.S: Below is the numbers of the echocardiographic report:

AOS: 29 cm
LAD: 28 cm
IVS D: 7 - 11 cm
LVID d: 52 - 46 cm
LVPw d: 7 - 11 cm
IVS s: 15 - 16 cm
LVID s: 31 - 27 cm
LVPW s: 12 - 16 cm
FS: 41 % (25-44)
ESV: 41 (27-95)
EF: 71 - 76 % (50-80)

Thanks all!

Mathieu

UPDATE: It won't allow me to post the pictures of the results :\ if anyone think can help, please let me know so i can send in private or something.

[Annie0904]

No one here is qualified to know what your results mean. You have been seen by a specialist and should trust their analysis of them. What you have described does sound like symptoms of anxiety and it can be there even when we think we are fine :)
Are you receiving any help for your anxiety?

[sweetlover88]

Thanks for the answer

No i don't but i'm planning on going to see a Psychiatrist.

But what about Atrial fibrilation? is it possible since i had no palpitation w/ fast heartbeat at all during all my tests that they could of missed it? :\

Cheers!

[Annie0904]

Highly unlikely that they would miss it. See your doctor and ask if you can be referred for therapy to help with your anxiety.

[sweetlover88]

Cheers Annie!

Thanks for your answers. So i guess these littles heart skipping and heart fluttering feeling are cause of anxiety?

I'm just a bit freaked out since it's a new symptom that i've never have before in my life (I've been suffering from panic attack since 16, i'm 26 now...) but the palpitation are really new (2-3 months something like that) so i'm really not used to them


Thanks!

[Annie0904]

Palpitations are a very common symptom of anxiety.

[Canbud]

You don't trust a cardiologist who is trained to diagnose complex heart conditions but you are perfectly happy to let us diagnose you?

That should tell you that you are fine, and that anxiety is your problem, not your heart.

[sweetlover88]

It's not that i don't trust him, my main fear is just that i'm wondering if the fact that he haven't been able to see my palpitation along with my irregular fast heartbeats during the tests since i didn't had those can hide something (Fibrillation Ventricular) for example.

I do trust him and he's been a huge help for me, i was just wondering about that, that's all :)